Apostille attestation in India

If you are planning to study, work, or settle abroad, Apostille attestation is one of the first legal steps you must complete. Apostille attestation in India is a document authentication process that confirms your certificates are genuine and legally valid in countries that are members of the Hague Convention. Apostille is issued by Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India. Once Apostilled, the document is accepted in 100+ countries without further embassy attestation.

Apostille Attestation in India

Apostille stamp is computer-generated square stamp placed on back of document or attached as separate sheet using seal, sticker, or ribbon. Format is standard and accepted across Hague Convention countries.

Apostille attestation legalizes personal documents like birth certificate, death certificate, and marriage certificate. It also legalizes educational documents like degree, diploma and matriculation certificate. These documents are accepted in 104 countries that are members of Hague Convention. Since India is also member of Hague Convention, Indian citizens who want to study, work or move out with their husband or wife living abroad can get Apostille attestation in India..

Benefits of apostille

Documents with Apostille stamp accepted in all Hague Convention countries without repeated attestation process. This reduces time, effort, and additional verification requirements.

Can all documents be apostilled?

No, not all documents can be Apostilled. Apostille stamp is issued only for public documents. The law of the country in which document was issued is the sole authority that can decide whether particular document can be called a “public document” or not.

Apostille is commonly issued for:

• Birth, death and marriage certificates
• Court, tribunal, or commission issued documents
• School, university, and academic certificates issued by public institution
• Commercial registers and patents
• Notarial acts and notarized signatures

Apostille is not applicable to documents issued by diplomatic or consular authorities.

Documents required for apostille

The following documents are required for apostilling certificates:

• Original document that you want to get apostilled.
• Photocopy of original document
• Photocopy of first page of valid passport

Can photocopies of original documents be apostilled?

No, only original documents or true copies can be apostilled.

Apostille attestation procedure

Apostille attestation is completed in three main steps: authentication, legalization, and document submission.

Authentication of documents

You should first get all of the original documents that you want to be apostilled authenticated by designated authorities of the state or union territory from where your document was issued.

Personal documents

Personal documents like birth certificate, marriage certificate are authenticated by Home Department or General Administration Department (GAD) of respective state or union territory.

Educational documents

School, college, or university certificates are authenticated by State Education Department or concerned education authority.

Commercial documents

In the case of commercial documents, pre-authentication is done by the respective Chambers of Commerce.

Legalisation of documents

Once documents are authenticated by state or union territory authorities, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) completes legalization. MEA places Apostille stamp based only on signatures of these designated authorities. Content inside documents is not checked or verified by MEA.

Document submission

From July 2012, MEA no longer accepts documents directly at Patiala House, New Delhi. Documents must be submitted through authorized agencies or MEA branch secretariats.

Authorized agencies are:

• M/S Superb Enterprises Pvt. Ltd. Centres in Bangalore, New Delhi, Kochi, Hyderabad, Mumbai, Chandigarh, and Pune
• M/s BLS International Services Ltd centers in New Delhi, Chandigarh, and Navi Mumbai
• M/s IVS Global Service Pvt. Ltd. centres in Srinagar, Chandigarh, and New Delhi
• IVS Collection centres in Jalandhar, Bangalore, Goa, and New Delhi
• M/s Superb Enterprises centres in Chandigarh and New Delhi
• VFS Global Attestation Centres in Mumbai, Bangalore, Hyderabad, New Delhi, and Chandigarh

Ministry of External Affairs Branch Secretariat in Kolkata, Guwahati, Hyderabad and Chennai

Apostille attestation fees

The fee for apostille attestation in India is Rs 50 per document. Since MEA does not accept documents directly from applicant, you have to submit documents and payment through designated outsourced agencies mentioned above. The outsourced agency also charges additional fee for the collection and delivery of documents for the purpose of apostille by MEA.

• Personal documents: ₹22
• Educational documents: ₹18
• Commercial documents: ₹16

Note: Documents and payment must be submitted in person at designated centres. Do not send documents by post or courier.

Countries that accept Apostille

Apostille attestation is recognized in 100+ countries that are members of the Hague Convention. Once your document is apostilled in India, it is valid in all these countries without further embassy attestation.

• Andorra
• Albania
• Armenia
• Antigua and Barbuda
• Australia
• Argentina
• Austria
• Azerbaijan
• Barbados
• Belgium
• Bahamas
• Bolivia
• Bahrain
• Belarus
• Brazil
• Belize
• Bosnia and Herzegovina
• Botswana
• Brunei Darussalam
• Bulgaria
• Burundi
• Cape Verde
• Colombia
• Cook Islands
• Chile
• People’s Republic of China (Hong Kong & Macao Only)
• Costa Rica
• Croatia
• Cyprus
• Czech Republic
• Denmark
• Dominica
• Dominican Republic
• Ecuador
• El Salvador
• Estonia
• Fiji
• Finland
• France
• Georgia
• Germany
• Greece
• Grenada
• Guatemala
• Honduras
• Hungary
• Iceland
• India
• Ireland
• Israel
• Italy
• Japan
• Kazakhstan
• Republic of Korea
• Kosovo
• Kyrgyzstan
• Latvia
• Lesotho
• Liberia
• Liechtenstein
• Lithuania
• Luxembourg
• Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia
• Malawi
• Malta
• Marshall Islands
• Mauritius
• Mexico
• Republic of Moldova
• Monaco
• Mongolia
• Montenegro
• Morocco
• Namibia
• Netherlands
• New Zealand
• Nicaragua
• Niue
• Norway
• Oman
• Panama
• Paraguay
• Peru
• Poland
• Portugal
• Romania
• Russian Federation
• Saint Kitts and Nevis
• Saint Lucia
• Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
• Samoa
• San Marino
• Sao Tome and Principe
• Serbia
• Seychelles
• Slovakia
• Slovenia
• South Africa
• Spain
• Suriname
• Swaziland
• Sweden
• Switzerland
• Tajikistan
• Tonga
• Trinidad and Tobago
• Tunisia
• Turkey
• Ukraine
• United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
• Uruguay
• Uzbekistan
• Vanuatu
• Venezuela

In case of rejection of Apostille attestation?

Most Apostille applications in India are processed correctly and rarely face rejection. But, rejection can happen if:

• Origin of Apostille cannot be verified
• Official elements are completely different from the model certificate added to the agreement

In such cases, Apostille stamp is not accepted internationally.

Points to consider before Apostille Attestation

To avoid delays or rejection, make sure:

• Documents are notarized by authorized staff
• Proper state level authorization is completed (Home/General Administration Department, Education Department or Chamber of Commerce depending on document type)
•  Apostille MEA

How much time it will take for apostille attestation

Apostille attestation in India takes around 23 business days. For educational documents or cases where state level verification is required, process can take 7 to 14 business days longer.

Qatar Embassy Attestation

Kuwait Embassy Attestation

Nigeria Certificate Attestation